


The Code

by LuciusMalfoy



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-02
Updated: 2013-07-02
Packaged: 2017-12-17 12:16:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/867446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciusMalfoy/pseuds/LuciusMalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eric violates the code and lands himself in a rather unusual situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Perched high atop a concrete bench, the Undertaker yelled out loudly across the crowd of wrestlers gathered from both the RAW and Smackdown locker rooms. "I hereby start the bidding at twenty-five dollars! Do I have twenty-five dollars?" His voice carried like a rolling ocean wave, loud enough for all to hear, yet somehow muted in its delivery, attracting the attention of every blood lusting man and woman within earshot. The response was instantaneous.

Leaning against the set of tan lockers, Chris Jericho called out his acceptance of the Undertaker's generous offer, his thoughts of revenge clearly written into each corner of his cheshire grin.

"Bite me." Eric Bischoff spat quickly, looking first to Jericho, and then around the room, openly daring anyone else to say another word. Standing next to the towering auctioneer, who had one hand on his shoulder, he wondered just how he had gotten himself into this mess. It was one thing to be on the receiving end of one of Taker's order keeping punishments, but this was ridiculous. All he had done was rat out Shawn Michaels and Triple H's little love affair to Stephanie McMahon. After all, she had a right to know that her husband was sleeping behind her back, he had reasoned. Although, if he was completely truthful with himself, the idea of getting rid of both Shawn and Hunter, when Stephanie's father, Vince McMahon found out, was more than just a silver lining to his plan. With those two troublemakers gone, and Stephanie an emotional wreck, his place as the General Manager of Raw would finally be secure. At the moment, however, he was feeling far from secure.

"Pipe down boy! You know you got whatever it is that's coming to ya!" The Undertaker hissed as he tightened his grip on Eric's shoulder, causing him to grimace.

He wasn't quite sure how he knew, but somehow, The Undertaker had figured out that he was the one who had let things slip to Stephanie. If there was one thing that The Undertaker believed in, it was adhering to 'The Code'. Part of The Code being that fellow wrestlers were never supposed to talk about each other's extra marital affairs to anyone, let alone to go and tell another man's wife to their face. He had broken The Code, and not only had he ignited the wrath of The Undertaker, he had managed to capture the hatred of everyone in the back who had been friends with the two degenerates that he had sold out. Finding himself being auctioned off to the highest bidder in some dismal locker room full of individuals who would love nothing more than to see him humiliated in the most horrible ways imaginable, with no escape plan in sight, and yet unwilling to give in, he settled for the only thing he could do, which was to stand there quietly until he could find a way to talk himself out of the situation.

Waving an arm up high, Ric Flair confirmed the next bid. "Fifty dollars!" He shouted, his other arm around Roddy Piper who, like Ric, was also grinning in a most evil way.

"I have fifty dollars, do I hear seventy-five?" Taker inquired, preparing to accept the next eager bid.

"No chance in hell." Vince McMahon growled from the entry way, facing forward as he began to make his way past the wrestlers who were now parting like the sea to make room for their power walking promoter. "This ends right here right now, you understand me?" Vince said, stopping to stand before the much taller man, and a very confused looking Bischoff, craning his head back to meet Taker's eyes, making it clear just who was the boss around here.

After several long moments had past, with neither man looking away from the other, Taker merely nodded his head and hopped down from the bench. Casting a glare straight at Eric, who was now busy straightening out his jacket, before leading his fellow wrestlers out of the room, many of whom, were mumbling curses under their breaths.

"Vince McMahon, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Eric beamed down at his rescuer, a smile of relief crossing his face as he stepped down off the bench, before extending a hand out, always ready to attempt to endear himself to any man signing his paychecks.

"Cut the crap, Eric." Vince said bluntly, glaring at Eric, who now was looking more confused than he had only a minute before. "You made a HUGE mistake, while me and Stephanie don't always get along, she is a McMahon, and we McMahons always stick together." Vince stated clearly as he looked down at Eric's hand, waiting for him to put it down.

Despite the feelings of confusion that now swept through him, Eric took a deep breath and tried to regain his usual poise. Erasing the unease from his face, he merely cocked an eyebrow at his boss, waiting for him to explain exactly what had just transpired. If he was as furious with him as he claimed to be, then why had he stared down The Undertaker, sparing him from his punishment?

"You think I had let you off the hook didn't you?" Vince asked rhetorically, almost as if he had been reading Eric's thoughts at that very moment. "Well, I'm here to tell you that you can just get that idea out of your head, my little Stephanie came home to me last night, crying her eyes out, do you know what that does to a father, Eric? To see his little girl crushed right before his very eyes? Well, do you?" Vince questioned, his face taking on a reddish hue as he looked down at Eric.

"No, Sir, I don't." Eric stated, unsure of what exactly he needed to say in order to get out of his latest predicament.

"Of course you don't!" Vince seethed, before taking a deep breath of his own, trying to calm himself down. Grabbing both of the lapels on his jacket, Vince straightened himself up further than he had before, if that was even possible, and suddenly beamed down at Eric, giving him his best smile. "You know what you're gonna do now, Eric?"

Vince's voice had taken on a much calmer tone, indicating an unspoken danger to Eric, causing him to cringe inwardly. He knew that whatever it was that Vince was going to say next, was not going to be any good news to his ears.

"You're going to dedicate the rest of your tenure as the RAW general manager, to making sure that not only does Triple H get exactly what he deserves, but that my daughter Stephanie is well protected at all times until his contract expires next month." Vince stated, watching as Eric's cautious neutral demeanor changed to one of outright dismay, delighted that he had gotten just the reaction that he was looking for.

"Sir, with all due respect, you have got to be kidding me, I thought you got rid of him already? Your telling me that I have to put up with a pissed off Triple H for another month, and that I have to protect Stephanie from him? Your joking, right?" Eric was barely able to contain the strain he felt from seeping into his voice, not only had his plan blew up in his face, but it had backfired on him completely. Failing to get rid of Stephanie was bad enough, but Hunter was bound to go after Stephanie for trying to get her father to fire him, and once he hears from his fellow wrestlers that it was him who had told Stephanie about his and Shawn's little rendezvous in the first place, he was no doubt going to come after him too. Not to mention whatever it was that Shawn would have planned for him. If the Undertaker thought he could do any worse to him, he was wrong.

"I could always just fire you instead." Vince stated flatly, knowing full well that Eric wouldn't give up his position of power and authority without one hell of a fight first. If there was one thing that Vince enjoyed about having him around, it was that he knew exactly how to get under his skin and he loved every minute of watching Eric squirm. After all those years of him running WCW, and nearly throwing his father's legacy into financial ruin, Vince was going to personally see to it that Eric finally got the long over due misery that he had coming to him.

Pacing back and forth in front of the bench he had been standing on minutes before, Eric realized that he needed to calm down and formulate a plan. Stopping to run both of his hands through his hair, he let out an exasperated sigh and looked over at Vince who, if he wasn't mistaken, was smiling. That miserable old bastard was smiling! No doubt thrilled to finally have him at his mercy, he thought bitterly. Sure, he had known that this was bound to happen eventually when Vince first approached him to work for him over a year ago, but that did not mean he had to enjoy it so openly. It was without a doubt, a direct slap to his face. While he knew Vince wanted to give the dirt sheets something to buzz about, he knew that it was about more than that. He wanted to finally feel like he had defeated WCW and how better to do that then to humiliate the man who driven his company into the ground for over a year and a half? He, however, had bigger concerns at the moment than to dwell on his old competitor's spiteful hatred of him and the challenge he somehow believed he represented to him. He knew that if he wanted to keep his job, he was going to have to keep calm and resign himself to whatever it was that Vince wanted him to do.

"No, Sir, that won't be necessary," Eric said, acquiescing himself to his fate. "You said that I need to protect Stephanie, where is she?" He asked simply, shoving both hands in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels in an attempt to quell his animosity for his current state of affairs.

"Now, that's a little more like it, Stephanie is at the family mansion, having left to get away from Hunter until I can get rid of him, you are to pick her up and see to it that she has everything that she needs, if she should inform me, at anytime, that you have been anything less than a perfect gentleman then I don't think I need to tell you what will happen to you and your place here at the company now do I?" Vince said as he looked Eric in his eyes, making him a bit more uncomfortable than was necessary.

"No, Sir, I will see to it that she has everything that she needs." Eric replied, shifting a bit under the scrutiny of Vince's searching eyes.

"Excellent, I'm off for a meeting with creative, I will come around from time to time to check on how things are progressing, I'm looking forward to hearing only good news." Vince said before quietly excusing himself, leaving Eric alone in the silence of the locker room.


	2. Chapter 2

Quietly grumbling to himself as he sat alone in his car outside of the McMahon Family Mansion, Eric removed his keys from the ignition, flopping back against the headrest, before letting out a long sigh. Tired as the sandman had been unable to find is way to him the night before, he closed his eyes, his restlessness brought on by anxiety at the mere thought of dealing with the Billion Dollar Princess for an entire month, not to mention her soon to be ex-husband and his partner in crime.

Unbuckling his seatbelt and shoving open the door, he lifted himself out of his seat and trudged his way up the many steps to the front doors of the mansion. Pausing at the landing to readjust his jacket, he shook his head from side to side as he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the ostentatiously large and polished stone doors. Out of sheer reflex, he began to fluff his hair back into place, rearranging the stray hairs that fell into his eyes, making himself presentable to whomever answered the door, always aware of the value of his appearance. Once satisfied, he pressed the button of the large silver intercom system, announcing his arrival in an uncharacteristically bland style.

Impatient with the lack of response, Eric inquired further. "Hello?" Waiting for a reply from the other side, he begrudgingly began to wonder if this was the beginning of a pattern to his day.

"Good morning, state your name and purpose please." Came the reply from the other end, from what seemed to be an equally impatient woman.

Running a hand through his hair, Eric pressed a fingertip against the small, silver button, before giving an equally automated response. "Good morning, my name is Eric Bischoff and I am here to pick up Stephanie." Releasing his pressure on the talk button, he took a step back, hoping to be lead inside at once, eager to get things over with as quickly as possible.

"Thank you, one moment please."

The minutes dragged on slowly, one by one as he waited, increasingly tired with the situation. Clasping his hands behind him, he began his nervous habit of rocking back and forth on his heels, turning to look around occasionally, as he let the time pass by. Having grown bored with the situation, he began to fall asleep on his feet, causing him to jump lightly in surprise when the doors finally opened before being monotonously greeted by one of the members of the household staff.

"Right this way, Mr. Bischoff." Came the disinterested voice of the man who now stood before him, extending his arms with a slight bow, showing him in.

Giving a nod of understanding, he made his way past the doors that reminded him of an artists rendition of the pearly gates, before beginning his journey down a rather brightly lit hallway, chandeliers casting a golden glow down upon the expensive rugs beneath his feet from above, vases of flowers and paintings littering the long path, giving the place a familiar Christmas time glow in the midst of October.

Marveling at how the other half lived, he carried onward, one foot in front of the other as he took a look around the place. Sure, he was rich, but no where near McMahon Money, and this place made Hulk Hogan's pad look like a ghetto by comparison. If this is how a McMahon lived all of the time, he thought to himself, then he wanted to be adopted.

Turning around a corner, he was ushered into a parlour, where his escort briskly informed him to wait, until such a time as Mrs. McMahon-Helmsley came to retrieve him. Making himself comfortable on a rather plush couch, he tried to content himself with waiting, annoyed that Stephanie didn't have her things in order this far into the morning.

"How typical." He lamented, watching as the time stretched onward, his eyes resting upon the ornate clock above the mantlepiece as ten o'clock approached. He had a meeting with creative at noon, and if the Princess didn't get herself into gear soon, he would be late on her account. The more he thought about it, the less content he was to wait around for her to finish up with whatever it was that she could possibly consider to be more important than his time.

While Vince had told him to look after her, he did not think that included him loitering in a parlour, waiting on her beck and call, at least as far as he was concerned.

Rising from his seat, he left the room in search of Stephanie, not really sure where to begin his hunt for the bane of his existence. Wandering down one hall after another, he scanned room after room for her presence without success. After a while, he began to take notice of the various works of art that ran along the walls, canvassing the corridors with their miscellaneous swaths of color, having grown tired of the one sided game of hide and seek he seemed to be playing. Tired from walking for what seemed like miles, he stopped to take in his surroundings, wondering briefly if one painting might be an original Picasso, before he heard her.

"Listen, I don't need you to tell me how I feel!" Stopping at the sound, he realized he had heard the woman he was looking for. Creeping closer to the nearest doorway, he stood silently, confirming his suspicions.

"Hunter, you know, you can do whatever you want to do with him, I don't care anymore, as a matter of fact, you would be doing me a favor by getting rid of him, the last thing I need, is another power hungry, money grubbing jerk in my life, so you go on right ahead!" Eric heard Stephanie yell, chancing a glance into the doorway, he could see that she was on her phone, and could hear that her cheating bastard of a husband was on the other end of the line.

Realizing his good fortune, he decided to take the opportunity to eavesdrop to see if he could learn anything that he could use against her, after all she was the reason he was in the mess he was in right now and she was also in the way of him securing total control of General Managership of both RAW and Smackdown. Never one to ignore fortune when it came knocking on his door, Eric dashed to the other side of the doorway, safely out of sight, as he watched Stephanie paced around an island in her kitchen, one hand wrapped in front of her, bracing the elbow of the arm which held her phone to her ear.

"How embarrassing do you think it was for me, to have Eric Bischoff, come into my office last week and have him tell me, that you and Shawn, are having an affair, that the entire locker room knows about and has known about it for some time now? Hmm? How do you think that makes me look, to have my HUSBAND, running around with some little boy toy? Not some other woman, but a man, another man Hunter! I never even imagined, that you would do something like this to me, but you know what, I know better now! I know what kind of little boy you are! You're no man, Hunter. Real men, don't go running out on their wives, and screwing around with other men, ok, they just don't, so save the excuses! I don't care anymore. It's over between us, so you better hire a real good lawyer, because you're going to need one!" As he listened on, he couldn't help but shake his head at the ear chewing that Hunter was getting. Quite thankful that he was not in that guy's shoes. Of course, he would never have considered getting married to her in the first place.

"No, Hunter, how do you think that makes me look, when I am trying to run the family business?" Watching the McMahon stalk around her kitchen like a lioness, he looked on with some interest, as she stopped and grabbed an apple from a nearby bowl, followed by a knife. Looking on, he watched as she began taking out her frustrations with the world, chopping and stabbing the apple into bits, as she listened to Hunter. Her agitation growing ever more apparent, as she continued to mince the unfortunate apple with the large blade, reminding him of a horror movie he once saw.

Feeling a small pang of guilt rising in his chest at his initial, perverse delight in telling Stephanie of the affair, he quickly dismissed the feeling. After all, it was her own fault, right? How can you not know that your husband is sneaking around on you? Shouldn't she have womanly intuitions about this sort of thing? Everyone else sure as hell knew what was going on, and it is not like it the boys in the back could think any less of her than they already do. McMahon she may be, but birthright alone does not a leader make. Hell, she can't even run her own marriage, let alone a multi-million dollar organization!

Suddenly tensing as he watched Stephanie stop and turn, he began to fear his cover might have been blown. Not wasting any time, he ducked around the corridor as fast as his feet could carry him, not wanting to hang around incase she really had caught sight of him. Holding his breath for a few cautious moments, he prayed that she had not seen him, before realizing just how childish he was acting. It wasn't like he was afraid of her, right? No, this was all her fault for keeping him waiting, and with that thought in mind he stood up and let go of the breath he was holding.

Comprehending that Stephanie had not seen him after all, he began to inch his way back towards the doorway, content to continue his spying upon the most vulnerable of the McMahon family. Only this time, unabashedly. Ultimately, it was his job to make sure that he did whatever necessary, to ensure his place as rightful G.M., and this, was just business. Popping his collar, he bounced his back off of the wall, and spun around into the kitchen, no longer concealing his presence.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Stephanie." Eric said, giving her the biggest fake smile known to mankind as he waltzed his way into the kitchen, taking long and leisurely slides towards the mansion's owner. Feasting his eyes on the woman who was shooting him the now familiar, dangerous, look her father was known for.

Watching as she hung up on Hunter, he continuted to observe her, as she tossed her phone onto the nearest counter, before closing the distance between them. Carrying forward with his smile, he beamed up at her equally false grin, her high heels giving her the height advantage. Taken aback slightly by her invasion of his personal space, he straightened up, bracing himself for the coming confrontation.

"Hello, Eric." Stephanie spat, as she loomed over Eric.

"I was just wondering when we were going to get on the..." Eric tried to get out peacefully, before being cut off mid sentence by the enraged woman before him, unable to defuse the situation as he had hoped.

"Shut up, Eric." Stephanie said, straightening herself up, as she flipped her hair back behind her shoulders. "I know exactly what you're doing, don't even play, you think that if you get rid of Hunter and Shawn, that you will be able to walk all over me, and take my spot as G.M., but I have news for you, Eric, I am here to take over the business from my father, and no one, especially not you, is going to take it away from me, do you understand?"

"I never said..." Eric managed, before being cut off again.

"I'm not finished!" Stephanie said, silencing Eric once more with a wave of her hand. "I am going to make my family proud, and no matter what kind power you think you have over me, because my father appointed you as my 'babysitter', nothing you can do is going to stop me from making that happen, so you better just stay the hell out of my way. I don't like you, you don't like me so let's make the best of our time together by minding our own business." Reaching over, she snatched her cellphone back from the countertop before continuing. "Apparently, Dad thinks that I have something to learn from you of all people about how to run a business, sure, you beat us for a couple of weeks but then what happened? You lost control, came back and then drove WCW straight into the ground, I guess if there is anything to learn from you, it would be how NOT to run a successful company." Finishing with a tilt of her head, Eric watched, as her smirk devolved into a pout before his eyes.

"Let me stop you right there, Stephanie." Eric said, beginning to take his turn getting a word in about the current situation. "Whatever you think about me, does not matter in the slightest, I am only here because I have to be, not because I want to be, and if there is one thing you learn from me, it better be to adjust that attitude of yours, because it isn't going to get you far in the real world, all you know, is how to be a spoiled little rich girl, who has never had to work a day in her life, which is why no one in this business thinks that you can handle running this company." Giving a steelylook up at Stephanie, he took a bit of delight in the astonished look she gave him, before she regained her composure and leaned down into his face yet again.

"Your underestimating me, will be your downfall, Eric, mark my words." Stephanie spoke threateningly, as Eric raised his hands up defensively and took a step back with a smirk on his features.

"Oh, I wouldn't dare underestimate you, Steph." He began in a sarcastic tone, placing one hand on his heart, the other raised beside him, as if he were making a promise. "I mean, if you run your business like you run your life, then I obviously have alot to learn from you too." Eric finished, realizing that he had gone a step too far the minute the words had passed his lips. If there was any doubt that he had crossed the line, the truth was written on Stephanie's face, and in that moment he felt like a lesser man.

"You know, Eric, that was low, even for you." Briefly seeing the hurt in Stephanie's eyes, he watched as she turned away from him. Instead of apologizing he carried on. "Look, you don't like me, I don't like you, so let's each just go about our own business, and get this over with as quickly as possible, where are your bags?" Looking to get this over with, and get to his meeting as soon as possible, he quickly tried to get back to what he felt, was the important business at hand.

Thankful that she had chosen not to drag things out any further, his let his eyes follow her trail as she walked off into another part of the mansion. Grateful when she returned quicker than expected with some rather large suitcases in her hands.

"Let me get those for you." Eric said, reaching for the bags, only to hear her murmur something about taking care of them herself. Noticing the puffiness in her eyes, he could tell she had been crying, and that she was trying to hide it from him. Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with the situation, he merely nodded before following Stephanie outside.

Hiking back down the marathon of steps, he fished his keys from his jacket pocket. Fumbling with the lock, before popping open the trunk, he motioned for Stephanie to put her bags inside, rolling his eyes at just how much stuff she was dragging along. Slamming the trunk, he moved to hold open the passenger side door for her, barely chancing a glance as she sat down inside.

"Buckle up." Eric said, shutting the door a little harder than he intended, before moving over to the driver's side and letting himself in. Placing the keys in the ignition, he began to back out of the driveway.

"Where are we going to first?" He heard Stephanie ask as she looked longingly back towards her home.

"Wait and see." Eric said, not wanting to say anything else that could land him in any more hot water. Replaying their conversation, over and over again in his mind, he knew that he had written his own pink slip. Stephanie was no doubt going to tell her father, the same way he had told her about Hunter and Shawn. The irony of the situation did not escape his notice, and for a moment, he wondered if she would enjoy it the same way he had. The thought of having the tables turned did not sit well with him, and if there was one thing he felt for certain, other than his own misery, it was that it was going to be a long drive and an even longer day.


	3. Chapter 3

The ride was quiet enough as Eric spent most of it lost in thought of the consequences for his little scene back at the McMahon Family Mansion. Various scenarios of the ass chewing to come mulled around in his head for the better part of an hour, before he was snapped out of it by Stephanie yelling at him as he pulled into the hotel's parking lot.

"Just because I am on the outs with my husband doesn't mean that I am going to just hop into bed with you to get back at him!" Stephanie fumed as she turned and smacked Eric hard in his right shoulder, causing him more pain than he would ever admit too.

At this point Eric had had enough. If he was going to get fired for pissing off the bosses' daughter then so be it. He was at least going to let the crime fit the punishment.

"Fucking typical of you Stephanie, always thinking that the world revolves around you but it doesn't! I didn't bring you here to fuck you! I'm here for my meeting with the rest of the RAW creative team. Honestly, Stephanie, I mean, your own husband doesn't want to fuck you what makes you think anyone else would? ESPECIALLY ME!?" Eric shouted, attracting the disparaging and reproachful looks of people entering and exiting the hotel as the two of them pulled into the nearest parking spot.

Stephanie went quiet instantly, trying to hold back her tears as Eric hopped out of the car and quickly made his way to the other side, opening the door for Stephanie, slamming it shut as soon as she got out and rushed to open the trunk so she could grab her things, uncaring of the scornful looks being shot his way from those nearby.

The minute Stephanie grabbed her bags Eric almost ran into the hotel lobby and up to the service desk, having already made their seperate reservations, Eric turned around to silently hand Stephanie the key to the room next to his and told her to wait there until he got back from his meeting, before turning back to the desk clerk and asking where the hotel's meeting room was located.

After learning the route, Eric headed off in the direction of the conference room, turning his head back towards Stephanie as he carried on, watching her lift her bags onto a bellhop's cart and thinking to himself yet again how ridiculous it was of her to haul around that much luggage before walking out of sight.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Eric said as he walked into the conference room. 'Right on time thankfully' Eric thought as he took his seat at the round table between Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco who were acting creative consultants alongside himself.

After taking turns to lean over and shake both men's hands they settled into the usual line of business, confirming the nights matches and making any last minute changes that needed to be made in order for the show to run smoothly. After seeing that all of the Superstars had made it safely to the arena and that no substitutions had to be made, the meeting carried on as it normally did. This month was October which meant that the yearly 'Hell In A Cell' Pay Per View was being held on the 28th in Atlanta, Georgia and every match booked needed to build up to that night.

For tonight's RAW in Stamford, Connecticuit it was decided that the night would start out strong with the Tag Team Championship Belts being put on the line which meant the team of Kurt Angle and Tajiri, who had formed an alliance based on their belief that they would make the best Champions, being the finest wrestlers America and Japan had to offer, would be facing the newly formed team of Brian Kendrick and Paul London, with Roddy Piper in their corner. Not to be over looked, Angle and Tajiri had gotten a manager of their own, Stacy Keibler.

That match was to be followed up by a Women's match between Torrie Wilson and Molly Holly to decide who would go on to face Lita for the number one contendership to face reigning champion Trish Stratus at the Pay Per View for the Women's Title. With Trish being a Smackdown Superstar, this would be Eric's chance to bring another Championship over to his show which would make another fine young feather in his cap.

By now, Jim Ross had entered the room, with his position as Talent Relations Consultant, it was his job to listen to the Superstars about their careers and gripes and with his soft heart and penchant for sympathy he had come to the conclusion that William Regal deserved a title shot against Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental Title tonight. Having none of that, after Regal had thought it wise to shield Eugene from Triple H with his 'Power Of The Punch' last week, but not wanting to override Good Ol' JR and get himself into any more backstage politics, Eric agreed to the match but decided to make it a non-title bout out of sheer spite. 'If he won't help me get rid of Eugene then why should I help him become a Champion?' Eric privately reasoned with himself.

"I think Spike Dudley, who is our European Champion, should get a chance to become one of the few Eurocontinental Champions in the history of the business." J.R. said in his southern drawl accent.

"I don't know about that." Said Gerald. "I think the boy's a little small don't you?"

"Size is important to Vince, I'll give you that, but he's proven himself and is more over with the fans then alot of the other boys in the back." J.R. countered.

"Yes but that is why he's our European Champion, that doesn't mean he deserves to be in the ranks of Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett." Anderson added.

"I agree with you, there is only so far you can get in this business without the right size though and Spike Dudley just isn't a big guy and you know Vince would never allow that to happen, ge can draw but he isn't on that main event level, you know that." Eric finished. 'No need to risk having a Smackdown member win a RAW owned Championship either' Eric thought to himself as he waited for the verdict to be reached.

"Alright then." J.R. noted, the disappointment for the smallest Dudley evident in his voice, before moving on to the next match which was for the Hardcore Championship. "As you know RVD is our Hardcore Champion and he's had the belt on him for just over two months now and under Hardcore rules the belt can be won anywhere at anytime."

"Yes and RVD is having a great run and I think he can keep the belt for quite awhile longer." Eric said, unsure of where the conversation was heading.

"When I met with Vince the other day he told me that the title should be made available to be won by a Smackdown Superstar at 'Hell In A Cell' and he suggested that during the course of the night anyone on both the RAW and the Smackdown rosters should be able to win the title off him." J.R. stated matter of factly.

"That's fine by me." Eric began. "RVD's a fighting champion and since no one on RAW has been able to get the title from around his waist that means no Smackdown Superstar can either." Eric smiled as he sat up straight in his chair, hands folded neatly on the table, confident that no one in the Smackdown lockerroom could take the title if their career depended on it.

"Now you know Triple H's contract is set to expire at the end of this month and we've all heard about the unfortunate business between him and Stephanie which is why Vince wants to use him to push Brock Lesnar on his way out the door and have him drop the title." J.R. said as he looked at the other men around the table.

"No way." Eric said at once, the idea of losing the main Championship to Smackdown not one he was willing to accept. "Triple H is a troublemaker, I'll give you that and we are going to get rid of him, but why should I just give the title over to Smackdown? Triple H is a RAW Superstar and it is on my brand that the belt is going to be kept. Period." Eric finished, having made his view crystal clear to the other men in the room.

"Well Eric, then who do you suggest as the main contender and what about the main event match at 'Hell In A Cell'?" Gerald asked point blank.

"I suggest Triple H Vs. Edge. Edge has proven himself time and time again and he can handle a world title run. Actually I'm gonna do you one better. Tonight it will be Triple H Vs. Edge in a non-title match and you can see for yourselves that Edge is ready for his time in the spotlight." Eric explained as he leaned forward in his chair, slightly anxious to see if he could persuade the rest of the room to agree with him.

"That sound's fine but don't you think the title should be on the line at 'Hell In A Cell' against a Smackdown Superstar? I mean Edge Vs. Triple H in a Hell In A Cell match? That's a brutal way to give Edge his shot don't you think?" Arn said, drumming his fingers on the table as he looked over at Eric.

"True, it is, but it will give Edge a chance to solidify himself as the rightful Champion. The fans believe he has paid his dues and no one will be able to diminish his run and say that he was only made Champ because Triple H is leaving. If you give Brock the title it will make him look like the new guy coming in, not having paid his dues and you will ruin his push because the fans won't buy him as Champion in a match where Triple H has alot more experience and it will weaken the main title which is the last thing our company needs right now." Eric pointed out, convincing himself and the others to see things his way.

"Alright then, sounds fair. You built up the title on RAW and on RAW the title will stay for now." J.R. wrapped up as everyone rose to say their goodbyes and carry on with their own pieces of business for the day.

Taking his leave Eric left the conference room and headed off to find Stephanie, convinced that she was probably whining to her father and trying her damndest to get him fired, he got in the nearest elevator and found his way to her room.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Stephanie?" Eric inquired, knocking once again to make sure she heard him. "Stephanie?"

'She's not in there or she would have answered me.' Eric thought to himself before a new thought struck him. What if Hunter had found her?

Suddenly seized with panic Eric made his way down to the hotel lobby to begin his search. Surely he hadn't found where they were staying had he? 'No that couldn't be it. She's just getting back at me for earlier and making me sweat it out. That's right. This is just her way of getting to me.' He thought as he entered the lobby and took a look around.

"Excuse me." Eric said as he approached a rather busy looking bellhop. "Have you seen a tall woman? Long brown hair, wearing a suit?"

"Sir, You just described most of the women here. I can't help you." The bellhop said, not even bothering to turn and look at him before continuing to busy himself with his cart.

"A lot of help you are!" Eric quipped before walking up to the front desk and frantically pounding on the service bell, trying to gain someone's attention.

"Can I help you, Sir?" Came the voice of the desk clerk as he walked out of the back room, a rather snippy look upon his face.

"Yes, The woman who I walked in with have you seen her?" Eric asked, hands pressed flat against the front desk, displaying his urgency.

"I cannot give you that information, Sir."

"And why not?" Eric asked in a quietly annoyed voice.

"Because of privacy laws." The clerk said before walking into the back room again, blatantly ignoring his request for information.

"I just love how helpful the staff is here!" Eric yelled at the now closed door of the back room, heading off to search the rest of the hotel for Stephanie. She couldn't have left without taking a cab as he had the keys to the rental in his pocket which meant she was probably hiding out somewhere in the hotel just trying to scare him.

Making his way to the pool there were no signs of the Billion Dollar Princess which didn't surprise Eric as it wouldn't be like Stephanie to hang out at a somewhat public pool with the children of vacationing families.

Walking back inside, Eric passed the laundry room and catering before finding the workout room along with Stephanie, who was running like a hamster, on an old model treadmill.

Almost sighing in relief Eric's anxiety quickly changed to an increasingly familiar feeling when it came to Stephanie McMahon, frustration.

"Decided to just go out on our own did we?" Eric inquired in an inquisitive tone as he strode up to the treadmill and folded his arms upon the machine, tilting his head back to watch Stephanie who was jogging along without a care in the world.

"Didn't know I needed your permission to workout." Stephanie panted as she pressed a button on the machine, slowing down her pace slightly as she uncorked her water bottle and took a gulp.

"Alright, I deserved that." Eric admitted as he took a calming breath and smiled up at Stephanie, clasping his hands together and resting his forearms on the top of the machine once more before attempting to dissipate the tension between them. "I know I haven't always been as nice to you as I should have."

"Cut the crap, Eric." Stephanie said as she shut off the treadmill, wrapping a towel around her neck, grabbing hold of the ends as she stepped off the machine to face him. "You don't like me, you never have and the feeling is mutual."

"You're right. I want to get this over with just as much as you do and for this to work I need to know where you are at. I don't care if you fax me, call me or text me but you need to tell me where you are at and where you are going. What if Hunter had been down here huh? Did that thought ever enter that pretty little head of yours?" Eric asserted as his eyes followed Stephanie to his side.

"What if he had Eric?" Stephanie said as she steadied her breathing. "What if Hunter walked in here right this minute? What would you do? What COULD you do, Eric?" Stephanie countered. "As a matter of fact you shouldn't be worried about me half as much as you should be worried about you." Stephanie finished, taking another sip of water.

"Uncle Eric!" Came a voice that washed the cold drench of dread over Eric as he turned to see his favorite nephew, Eugene.

"Hello Eugene." Stephanie smiled, genuinely pleased to see Eugene. "I'll just be going now since it looks like you have your hands full, that is, if it's ok with you, Eric." Stephanie mockingly asked, waving a quick goodbye to Eugene and taking her leave before Eric could get another word in.

"Bye Bye Mrs. Triple H!" Eugene yelled at Stephanie, provoking a snort from Eric as he watched her stop and visibly cringe at the title before continuing on her way.

"Master Eugene!" William Regal scolded. "What have I told you about wandering off?"

"Sss Sorry." Eugene replied as he chewed nervously at a thumbnail.

"That's alright, now enough of that. Remember what I told you about germs?" Regal said as he batted the hand from Eugene's mouth.

"I thought I told you to watch him." Eric said, annoyed that his attempt at a mea culpa with Stephanie had been interrupted and hoping to make himself less miserable by making someone else miserable.

'Yes, I'm dreadfully sorry about this, Sir, won't happen again." Regal said with all of the false sincerity he could muster. "Come along, Eugene, follow me now."

"See that it doesn't!" Eric demanded before leaving for his own hotel room.

Making his way to the elevator, up to his floor and down the hall Eric stopped before the door he had been knocking on earlier, repeating his actions and hoping that this time he could work out some sort of agreement with Steph so as to make their time together somewhat more bearable, wondering if she had called her father yet to complain about what a lousy host he had been thus far.

"Yes, Eric." Stephanie said as she popped her head out of the doorway, waiting impatiently for him to get on with whatever he was going to say.

"Get dressed if you're not already, I'm taking you out to lunch in five minutes, meet me at the car." Eric said before walking next door and entering his own room, needing a few minutes to get himself ready and get his mind back on the task at hand.

'I can do this.' Eric thought to himself as he exchanged his suit and tie for blue jeans and a leather jacket. 'I've gotten myself out of tighter spots than this haven't I? I can handle anything that spoiled brat can dish out. I'm gonna smooth things over with her, avoid that beast she calls a husband and his loser friend and find a way to get rid of my nephew while managing to keep my job by keeping Vince happy. No problem. I've got this.' Eric finished getting his thoughts in order before plucking the keys from the pocket of his suit jacket and heading out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

It was only a ten minute drive into town for that nights RAW and Eric was grateful for it, feeling rather uncomfortable in the silence between him and Stephanie. Wanting to smooth things over as much as possible he decided it would be a good idea to take Stephanie out to the nicest place in town which happened to be a rather posh Italian restaurant that had been doing business in Greenwich for as long as he could remember. He wasn't entirely sure why he chose this particular location to have what he hoped would be a rather productive chat with the youngest member of the McMahon family clan. It could have been in the hopes that with it being such a nice place in a town where she would be recognized that it would avoid their conversation from going south rather quickly or it could have been that famous rumor that she hooked up with Randy Savage when she was just a teenager and thus had a thing for Italians but whatever it was it seemed to be the right choice as Stephanie hadn't made any objections as they entered the parking lot and headed up the ornately decorated terra cotta steps inside.

"Mrs. McMahon-Helmsley it's been awhile!" Came the voice of an overly dressed man behind the counter.

"Yes it has, Eric, this is Pierre, Pierre, this is Eric Bischoff." Stephanie said, making the mannerly introductions as was expected from someone of her standing.

"Nice to meet you, Pierre, such a French name for someone who runs an Italian restaurant." Eric said.

"Yes, well you will have to excuse me as anyplace that serves escargot is not up to my standards, please, let me take you to your seats." And with that the trio made their way through the floor of crowded tables to a little booth with a pleasant view of the outdoors, the natural light a pleasant change from the artificial light to which they were accustomed to. Often times the artificial lights of hotel lamps and arena lights were the only kind those in their profession would see for months on end and as they settled into their seats Eric watched as they both visibly perked up in the warm light much in the way a pair of daisies would in the early morning sun and it set them both at ease for the moment.

"May I start you off with something to drink?" Pierre said as he flipped open a leather notebook that had been tucked into a pocket of his apron.

"Yes please, uh... let's see I'll have the usual." Stephanie said, looking at Eric to signal his turn to order.

"I'll have whatever she's having." Eric said as he reached for the laminated plastic menu that had been placed before him, examining the offerings.

"Perfect! I'll be right back." Pierre said before rushing to the kitchen doors to fill their order.

"Stephanie..." Eric began.

"Before you even start don't. O.K., just don't, if your little plan was to make me mad because you think I will go whining to my father and get you off the hook then you are sadly mistaken because I don't give up that easily for anyone, ESPECIALLY you." Stephanie said in her business tone of voice which signaled to Eric that he might actually be able to talk his way through this mess.

Realizing that Stephanie needed to vent off a little more steam from earlier before he began to inform her of what he thought would be a reasonable arrangement for the both of them, he merely sat at attention and waited for her to continue working her frustration out of her system. After all, her problem wasn't really with him, it was with her husband, he reasoned, he just happened to be the person at hand who had to listen to all of their marital problems as if he didn't have any real problems of his own to deal with and if listening to her rave on for a little while meant that he got his way in the end then he had no problem pretending to care for the moment.

"You think you can protect me from Hunter? What can you do that security isn't already doing for me?" Stephanie said as she waited expectantly for Eric to respond.

"I'm not doing it for you Stephanie, I'm doing it for your father and unlike your security team, who by the way are likely to quit on the spot when confronted by any real threat, you can always count on me to do what is in my best interests, which for the time being, means making sure that you stay out of harms way." Eric said bluntly, watching as his words registered in her mind.

"Well then what am I worried about, when you put it that way it makes perfect sense, if there is one thing I can rely on you for it is that you really will do whatever is best for you at the moment, I guess I'm safe now." Stephanie said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. Clearly his response wasn't the one she was looking for.

"You know Stephanie, Hunter is a smart man but I didn't get to where I am today without being damn clever myself and over my career I've had to out think Superstars that are a hell of a lot smarter and better than him. I've even had to outsmart Hunter before back when he was nothing in WCW, him and his little Kliq buddies too." Eric added for emphasis. After all Eric had this situation under control for the time being. Panicking wasn't going to help either of them and if he could manage to cool Stephanie's anxiety down a notch or two with clear reasoning then all the better for him.

"Well... about that, you see..." Stephanie began nervously, unsure of how to word whatever it was she had to say.

"Well what?" Eric asked in the most neutral voice he could muster without it sounding forced, waiting for her to come up with some sort of witty comment about how he handles his business.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this but I kinda, maybe, sorta did sign Hall and Nash to Smackdown." Stephanie managed to say as she watched her own words register in Eric's mind and his facial expression turn from one of blank attention to one of realization and fury.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Eric nearly yelled, barely able to contain his shock, anger and surprise as they sat along the edge of the room, no longer able to enjoy the rays of sunlight for the cloud of doom and gloom that Stephanie had just dragged over them. "What were you thinking!" Eric spat, drawing in his bottom lip and biting down in an attempt to stop himself from saying something to dig himself even further into the ever deepening ditch in which he found himself these days.

"I thought I was getting a big coup de grace over you at the time, I signed them before you told me about Hunter and Shawn, look, Eric, the truth is that I'm scared, there I said it, it's out in the open now." Stephanie said, looking rather defeated.

Having gone from trying to calm Stephanie down to now trying to calm himself down Eric took several deep breaths. How could she do this to him?! With Hall and Nash on Smackdown Michaels and Triple H would no doubt defect to her show soon after and along with them a good chunk of RAW's ratings which meant his spot as top G.M. was now in jeopardy. If he had ever needed a good reason to hate Stephanie he now had one but he wasn't about to let her get the upper hand. Taking another deep breath Eric regained enough composure to see that this could be his chance to get what he wanted from Stephanie, her cooperation.

"Alright, Stephanie, I'm glad that's out in the open, while we're trying to get on the same page is there anything else you have to tell me?" Eric asked, waiting to see if there was anything else she was hiding from him.

"No, that's everything, I swear." Stephanie said as she ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"I don't know what you were thinking signing them, no, I know what you were thinking but surely you realize this makes things a whole lot more complicated, I mean with those four back together again backstage antics are bound to take a sharp, skyward increase, your ratings will no doubt increase ten fold and now we not only have to worry about Hunter and Shawn but their two big buddies as well." Eric began, hoping that by laying everything out in the open that he could persuade Stephanie to see things his way.

"I don't know what we're going to do Eric." Stephanie said. "I admit I'm afraid but I'm not going to let them, you or anyone take away my spot as G.M.."

"I'm calling a truce." Eric said, much to Stephanie's shock and awe.

"Are you serious right now?" Stephanie said in disbelief that anything remotely human could come out of Eric's mouth.

"Yes, I'm serious, until this whole mess is resolved I promise I won't do anything else to gain sole G.M. power of both RAW and Smackdown, just so long as you promise to do what I say in order to keep you safe from those degenerates so I can keep my job as G.M. of RAW." Eric said flatly in the hopes of getting Stephanie to work with him.

"What are we going to do? I mean they aren't exactly known for playing nice and it isn't just me they'll be after." Stephanie asked, genuinely out of ideas at the moment.

"I don't know just yet, let me think about it and I should come up with something by the time RAW is over with tonight." Eric said, the beginning of an idea already taking shape inside his head.


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't long before they reached the arena. The drive had been a silent, yet welcomed moment of peace for the both of them, or at least he had thought so. He didn't pretend to know what Stephanie was thinking half of the time, let alone at a time like this. He knew she was counting on him to protect her from that deranged, soon to be ex-husband of hers, whether she was willing to confess that to him or not. With that in mind, he hoped his ideas on how to keep her away from him were good enough to ensure a successful night for the both of them.

Pulling into the parking garage, Eric turned to look over at Stephanie, who was looking nervously out the passenger side window. "Ready to go?" He asked, taking note of how pale she looked. For a moment, he pitied the youngest McMahon. He watched as she briefly nodded her head before she moved to open her door, but not before looking outside her window again, he noticed.

Getting out of the car himself, he made his way to the rear of the vehicle and popped the trunk. He made for his bag, brushing up against Stephanie, who happened to be reaching for hers at the same time, before stopping her. "Leave your things here." He said, hoisting his own bag over his shoulder before shutting the trunk. "Trust me." He added as he offer his free arm to her, wanting her to stay close to him, yet not really expecting she would take him up on his offer. To his small surprise, Stephanie accepted his offer at face value. There was no snarky remark about his level of trustworthiness, no witty retort or so much as an upturn of her button nose, none of the usual expected responses and he found her acceptance vaguely pleasing for some reason he could not explain.

He led them over to the elevator, pressing the button as they waited for it to descend to the basement level, before being greeted by a familiar, booming voice.

"Right on time! I like that!" Vince said, walking up behind them as the door to the lift opened and the three of them stepped inside. "I just spoke with security and Hunter nor his friends have shown up yet."

"You knew about Stephanie signing them already?" Eric asked, wondering why Vince had not mentioned this little fact to him earlier, as it would have only added to his torment having the news of Hall and Nash's signings broken to him by his former rival rather than his current one.

"Of course I knew, it's my company after all, furthermore, she is a McMahon and we McMahons..." Vince's voice trailed off as he looked over to see Eric's look of unvoiced frustration at his words.

"Always stick together." Eric finished for him as he pressed the button for the second floor of the arena as the door closed before them.

"Exactly! Now we're understanding each other." Vince continued as he looked over at his daughter, noticing her clinging to Eric's arm as she tried to pay attention to anything but the elephant in the room. "So, how's my little girl? Has Eric been treating you ok?"

'Here we go.' Eric thought silently to himself as he turned his head to look at Stephanie, pleading her with his eyes not to say a word against him to her father, especially not with him right here in front of him.

"While I haven't learned any of the things you so ardently claim that I can learn from him, it is too early in the night to say for certain whether or not Eric will live up to his... potential." Stephanie said, her lips pursing around that last word as if it were out of place, as if there was something wrong with describing her rival as having something positive to contribute. Not that he cared, if she was an unwilling student, he was an even more unwilling teacher and as long as she was willing to speak good of him in front of her father, he was not going to supply her with alternative thoughts.

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm heading out early tonight as I see that Eric here has everything well under control." Vince stated as the elevator stopped and he stepped out, ready to take his leave, but not before turning to finish what he had to say. "I will be at the arena for next week's RAW. See to it that you two are there too, ok?" Vince said, the implication of his statement not going amiss upon either of its recipients.

"Yes, Sir." Eric and Stephanie answered in unison as the elevator doors closed once more, leaving them alone in their suddenly uncomfortable silence.

"Thank you." Eric said, his sudden honest profession of gratitude stunning even himself as he punched the button for the fifth floor, looking skyward with his eyes closed in another silent thank you to the man upstairs, so to speak. He took a deep breath and let out a long, luxurious sigh, a bit thankful but more than that, still tired from lack of sleep the night before last.

"I didn't do it for you." Stephanie said, unleashing her hold on Eric in favor of wrapping her arms around herself, defensively. "I did it for me."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Eric said flatly, unwilling to start another argument when the woman had done what he wanted her to do. He knew she needed a verbal punching bag for her emotions, but he was far from willing to let himself fill that void. That wasn't part of his job description and he had more than enough to deal with tonight just keeping them safe and sound. The resounding silence from the other half of the elevator informed him that while their truce was in effect, that neither of them were willing to let it get in the way of the mutual feelings of discontentment they harbored for one another.

As they reached their floor, Eric held his arm out, gesturing her to leave the elevator first, in a form of mocking chivalry. He watched as she led the way to their office, where they would likely spend the majority of the evening together, trapped in this back and forth game of one-upmanship. It was unpleasant, sure enough, but familiarity breeds comfort and comfort breeds contentment. At least his company would be somewhat entertaining, he thought, as he held the door open for her before closing it behind them and locking them in before setting his bag down on the floor.

Now, it was just the two of them and the two of them, he could handle.

"Alright, Stephanie." Eric began as he turned around to watch her take her seat behind the desk. He remained standing guard by the door as he folded his arms in front of him and stood tall, the symbol of authority. The way he always stood when he was trying to assert his position and get his point across to his own children at home. Perhaps it was just his fatherly instincts kicking in but he suspected that she had not yet told him everything he needed to know. "Spill it."

"What do you mean, Eric?" Stephanie said as she stared back at him from across the desk.

Her eyes showed confusion but her voice lacked her usual confidence and he took that as a surefire sign of her... guilt? Dishonesty? He wasn't really sure when he had asked her the question but now there was no room left for doubt, The Billion Dollar Princess was definitely keeping something a secret from him. What the something was, he wasn't sure. The only thing certain at that moment was that he would not allow her to leave the room until she had told him every last detail.

"You know very well what I mean, do you think I'm like everyone else? That I'm really that stupid? Don't play dumb with me, Stephanie, I know you're keeping something from me and I want to know what that something is." Eric clarified for her as he took a short stride up to the desk and stopped, waiting for her to answer him.

"I don't think you're as stupid as everyone else," Stephanie said as he watched her brush her hair behind her shoulders before turning both eyes at him, cutting. "I would never insult them like that."

Tiling his head to the side, he looked right back down at her. She was on the defensive, which meant that he was certainly on to something. When she didn't continue, he sighed and moved around to the other side of the desk, taking a seat on the dark wood. Resting his palms on either side of him and gripping the edge of the desk tightly, he bowed his head, choosing his next words carefully. "Why won't you trust me, Steph?"

"Because you're you." Stephanie said as she curled away from his general direction in her chair.

With disbelieving huff he closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, a small smile on his lips before he looked over at her, amused as he took note of her attempt at distancing herself from him when not five minutes ago she had been clinging to his arm. Then, it hit him.

"What kind of a man is Hunter, Stephanie?" He deadpanned.

When she did nothing but turn further away from him, he had to suppress the resulting surge of anger from within. "Answer me."

"I don't have to tell you anything!" Stephanie glared as she turned her head to look at him sharply, propping an elbow on an arm of the chair she was sitting in and resting a hand against her chin.

Eric recognized it as yet another defensive gesture, he had hit too close to home, he realized and decided to back off, knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere by getting her to clam up on him.

"I can't fight what I don't know or I can't see." Eric tried again, hoping that a softer approach would help him drag it out of her.

At his words, he could see she was on the verge of tears. "Can't see? Can't see?!" Stephanie yelled as she bolted out of her chair and took off the suit jacket she was wearing, revealing her arms, which were coated in yellow and purple splotches to his eyes. "Can you see that, Eric?!" Stephanie screamed as she wrapped her jacket back tightly around her, shuddering as fresh tears fell.

Instinctively feeling uncomfortable and wanting to console her, Eric slid off the desk and moved to embrace her, only to have her step back away from him quickly and cower towards a corner of the room.

"I'm not him, Stephanie." Eric said quietly, angrily as he looked at the quivering woman standing before him.

"This is your fault!" Stephanie murmured bitterly as she flinched in anticipatory dread, obviously expecting a violent reaction to her statement.

He closed his eyes tightly and bite his lower lip, running both hands through his hair before putting a hand to his mouth, unsure of what to say. It had been his fault, hadn't it? He was the one who had been the cause of HHH's rage, which he had clearly taken out of the most convenient person available, that he had clearly mistaken for a punching bag. He wondered why he had not noticed what was going on earlier and he thought back to when he had seen her earlier in the day. Back at her home, she had been rather slow when it came to getting ready which, judging from the size and location of her many bruises, was only made worse by lugging around those heavy suitcases. He had wondered why she had carried so much stuff with her but only now did he realize that was likely because she was carrying everything she owned with her out of the house she had once called home. In the gym, she had worn a full track suit, which he didn't think anything of at the time. Now, it was all he could do to resist the urge to lunge forward and grab her and make her tell him everything that had happened to her because of him.

"How long has this been going on?" Eric inquired gently as he stood there, helpless to help a lady in distress, a feeling he grew to hate more with each passing second.

"Since about a month after we got married." Stephanie blurted out as a fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks.

'So it isn't my fault then.' Eric reasoned silently with himself. If this kind of thing had been going on long before he was even a part of the company, he wasn't to blame. Sure, he had made a bad situation worse, but that new found knowledge did little to assuage his feelings of guilt.

"This changes things." Eric said as he tucked his hands inside the pockets of his leather jacket, hoping that his change in posture would help put her at ease.

"This changes nothing! Look, just because you feel sorry for me now, it doesn't change a damn thing!" Stephanie stated boldly as she squared her shoulders, still preparing for a fight before being cut off by Eric.

"Not now, Stephanie!" Eric said as he walked back over to the desk and grabbed the binder filled with that nights program from a drawer and making his way back to where she stood, shaking. "Listen, tonight, my plan was to hide out here in this room until the show was over, but clearly that isn't going to stop a guy like HHH, if is he willing to do something like what you showed me to his own wife, then it won't end there, abusers don't give up their victims easily and he is probably going to come looking for you so he can try and sway you with a bunch of false promises, which means we are not safe here."

"Look at me, Stephanie." Eric said as he watched Stephanie swipe at her tears, a serious look on his face, he dared to step in closer and place his free hand upon her shoulder, waiting for her to return her attention to him before continuing. "I think I know how I can keep him busy, but I need you to listen to me and do what I tell you to do, O.K.?" Seeing her nod her head in agreement, he patted her gently on her shoulder before turning to glance at the door, a new plan swirling around in his head.

"Stay close to me tonight, alright?" Eric said as his hand slid down and he took Stephanie's hand in his own and pulled her gently towards the door, stopping just short before handing her the binder of show notes and reaching down to pick up his own bag. Reaching into his pocket for the key and working the lock, he looked over his shoulder to see her looking at him, her face a mixture of anger, sadness and resolve all rolled into one. With that, he tucked the key back into his pocket and cracked open the door, eyes darting outside for signs of trouble. Finding none, he opened the door wider, reaching back to grab Stephanie by the hand once more before heading down the hallway with his charge in tow.


End file.
